Tag Archives: Kung Fu Sets

This novelette, still unpublished, was written about 40 years ago by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit in the 1980s. Those attending the Valentine Kungfu Courses 2018 on the Shaolin Pakua Set will find the novelette particularly interesting as there are accounts of combat sequences from the Pakua Set.

AN OPALESCENT PEARL IN A DARK NIGHT

As Yang looked round, Miss Hu sailed in from the door like a blossoming flower drifting in the air, with a delicate waft of jasmine scent floating in with her. Hiss Hu, the only daughter of the Prime Minister, was as beautiful as she was demure. Some admirers des¬cribed her as the autumn moon at its brightest, some as an opalescent pearl in a dark night, others as poetry and music in their best combination.

And all agreed that no one could refuse doing her favours — not because she was the Prime Minister’s daughter, but because whenever she requested help (and this only on very rare occasions) her eyes spoke in such a pitiful but captivating manner that never failed to bring out the chivalry in man. Indeed, there were countless people ready to line up in the street, waiting to bang their heads against the wall, if only Miss Hu asked them to.

In Miss Hu, Yang Shao Ming saw the first girl he ever loved, the girl who was equally demure, who would blush at his mere presence. But was it love or a pass¬ing affection, a passing fancy common to all excitable, hot-blooded youths. Whatever it was, this demure girl had remained vividly in his memory. But she was only a dream, a vision whom he could only relive fondly in reminisc¬ence, for he did not even know her, did not even know her name, and now there was no where he could find her.

“I hope you can help me, Sifu Yang,” Miss Hu pleaded in her bewitching, appealing way.

“How am I to help you?” Yang asked. He noticed a film of tears at Miss Hu’s sparkling eyes.

“My jade-plum is stolen!” she replied demurely.

“The jade-plum!” Yang exclaimed, jerking himself up to the present reality. “The jade-plum that your father gave you as your twentieth birthday present! The jade-plum that is as big as a real plum and is worth the treasure of the whole city?”

“When I woke up this morning, I found my closet forced open. I was shocked, as my jade-plum was kept inside. True enough, when I checked the contents, I found everything intact, except my most treasured jade-plum.” Miss Hu began to sob.

Since time immemorial men have suspected the most deadly weapon of a woman is her tears. There is also a Chinese saying that the most valiant of heroes could not escape the wiles of a beautiful lady. There was no doubt about Miss Hu’s beauty. Now she employed her tears. So even a quick-minded kungfu expert like Yang could not tell whether her tears were due to wiles or genuine affliction.

“I would be very thankful if you can recover my jade-plum, Sifu Yang. You know how much that jade-plum means to me.”

“How are you going to thank me?” Yang inquired rather intelligently.

Miss Hu blinked her eyes and thought for a moment. “I’ll buy you three barrels of the best wine.” She suddenly cheered up. “I’m sure that’s what a man wants.”

Yang wondered whether she knew what a man wanted. Poor girl. How innocent, how naive!

“Perhaps you’ll like to come to my chamber,” she continued shyly, “to examine the situation yourselves.”

This time Yang Shao Ming was shocked. Even Commissioner Chin, who had been quiet all this while, looked surprised. A lady’s chamber was her very private place. But now she was asking them to visit her chamber.

I’d better don’t harbour imaginative ideas, Yang reminded himself. Of course we had to visit her chamber. How else could we examine the environment where the crime occurred?

This novelette, still unpublished, was written about 40 years ago by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit in the 1980s. Those attending the Valentine Kungfu Courses 2018 on the Shaolin Pakua Set will find the novelette particularly interesting as there are accounts of combat sequences from the Pakua Set.

THE PERFECT DETECTIVE

Commissioner Chin’s career in the Imperial Bureau of Criminal Investigation had been so outstandingly successful that people called him the Perfect Detective. Like Yang Shao Ming, he was also good at kungfu.

Any police officer, if he wanted to survive, had to be proficient in the martial arts, for although this period of Chinese history during the Ming Dynasty was comparatively peaceful and prosperous, big time criminals were generally skillful fighters. Indeed to a great extent it was because of his kungfu excellence as much as his efficiency in preventing and solving crimes that the public enjoyed peaceful times.

Nevertheless, the Commissioner was even better known for his fine taste. Everything about him was the best: he wore the best clothes, ate the best food, drank the best wine, had the best-looking women, and mixed with the best friends. Even his officers and his investigation methods were the best. In fact people were convinced that Commissioner Chin was the personification of success.

What can worry Commissioner Chin? Yang wondered to himself. Just what on earth can worry this man whose support includes the highest ministers of the Emperor, whose friends comprise of the best kungfu experts in China, and whose efficiency spells fear as well as reverence throughout the whole underworld of crime?

Yang hoped Chin would reveal his worries, but the more he hoped, the more Chin seemed to have forgotten about this irresistible curiosity which he appeared to have accidentally caused Yang to suffer.

Yang looked across the table at the Police Commissioner. His earlier sulky look had disappeared from his face. Commissioner Chin even seemed to be smiling to himself, being oblivious to the troubled thoughts in Yang’s head, and oblivious to everything around him. He took a sip of his fragrant wine, sat back and rinsed the wine gently and artfully in his mouth, and with eyes closed, obviously enjoying its lingering aroma.

Can the cause of his worries be Fragrant Fox? Yang reasoned to himself. He realized he could stand it no longer.

“Have you any news of Fragrant Fox?” he eventually asked, almost foolishly.

“She has given me enough trouble, this Fox,” Chin replied wrathfully. It was amazing how quickly his earlier complacent disposition turned into anger. “I’ll soon have her caught.” But in a moment, the Commissioner reverted to his nonchalant mood, as if totally involved in the appreciation of his wine.

Yang could understand Chin’s exasperation, even for a moment. Although this Fragrant Fox was actually not a criminal — she never robbed nor killed — yet she must have caused this Chief Investigator of the Empire more trouble than the most notorious criminals. Since the widely-talked-about appearance of this highly amorous Fox some months ago, many people had begun to doubt the validity of the Perfect Detective’s reputation.

“It’s just incredible,” Yang said, “that even those whom she made love to, and who enjoyed her love so much, could not know who she actually is!”

“Fragrant Fox is not only a kungfu expert, she is also excellent in make-up techniques,” Chin explained, still in his leisurely mood. “Her variety of disguises is such that even if she were your neighbour, you might not know it!”

“Perhaps she is a very ugly woman. She has to wear different masks to hide her face,” Yang jested.

“She is extremely beautiful and charming,” Chin objected, then sighed, as if regretting that had she been a less insatiable lover, he might have married her.

“How do you know? Have you seen her actual face?”

Yang’s abrupt questions aroused the Commissioner from his dreamy state, but he managed to reply calmly, “I have sufficient evidence at present to pin-point a certain suspect.”

“Who is this suspect?”

“I won’t tell you now so as not to prejudice your investigation.”

“My investigation? So you are again asking me to do your investigation!” Yang protested.

“I hope you won’t refuse to help,” came a melodious, timely reply from behind.

This novelette, still unpublished, was written about 40 years ago by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit in the 1980s. Those attending the Valentine Kungfu Courses 2018 on the Shaolin Pakua Set will find the novelette particularly interesting as there are accounts of combat sequences from the Pakua Set.

PERSIAN SCARLET

Chinese wine

As Yang Shao Ming entered the reception chamber, Commissioner Chin was already waiting. The room was spacious and luxurious, with expensive paintings on walls and precious porcelains vases on artistically carved selves. Everything about the room was delicate and exquisite, just like the Commissioner himself.

The Commissioner, in his early thirties, was comfortably seated at a table, laid over with a fine, red silk table-cloth, and on the table were delicious food and excellent wine. Yang Shao Ming could easily tell the superb quality of the wine by its gentle, fragrant aroma.

Commissioner Chin was alone. Even his bodyguards and the pretty maidens who habitually surrounded and pampered him were conspicuously absent.

“My dear Yang,” the Commissioner said as his young friend entered, “fine food and wine wait on our appetite.”

“I suppose you’re going to ask favours from me again.” Yang smiled but was straight to the point without any pretensions, as he eyed the delicious food and excellent wine on the table. “They say the best way to a person’s favour is through his stomach!”

“Let’s enjoy this Persian Scarlet,” Chin replied as he poured a cupful of the best quality wine for his friend. “You can’t buy such wine with any amount of money. The King of Persia sent three barrels to our Emperor as tribute, and His Majesty is so graceful and generous to give me one.”

“And you’re so graceful and generous to let me share it.”

“What is a barrel of wine compared with the company of good friends. I must say that even if I had achieved nothing in this short life, I would leave this world without any regrets because I have you as a good friend.”

That was quite true. Any one of Yang’s friends would agree that was true. Yang Shao Ming was only in his late twenties, but he was so skillful in martial arts that many people considered him one of the best kungfu exponents the famous Shaolin Monastery had ever produced. But, of course, it was not merely because of his Shaolin kungfu that his friends adored him.

“You certainly have achieved a lot in life, my dear Commissioner, and you certainly understand the pleasures of life.”

“Unfortunately I am not drinking for my own pleasure this very moment!” The Commissioner frowned. And he said this so naturally and spontaneously that his friend was not sure whether he was joking.

“Three cupfuls to drown my worries,” Chin sighed as he gobbled down his first cupful of scarlet wine.

Yang almost burst out laughing.

Yang could not laugh now. He wanted to know the two pertinent worries, yet he dared not ask. He knew too well that as soon as he foolishly opened his mouth, Chin would talk him into doing favours again. He had done enough favours for the Commissioner in solving crimes, and this time Yang was determined not to be used again. He sat back, like his friend, half closing his eyes, and tried to enjoy the succulent Persian wine.

Wine, Songs and Women: these were the pleasures of men – at least of most men. But now Yang did not find the wine pleasurable. Two pertinent worries? Yang thought.

“Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley” is the second combat application set of Shaolin Kungfu in our school. It comprises of basic Combat Sequences 5 to 8, and helps to extend the repertoire of kungfu techniques of Shaolin Kungfu students.